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Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”

But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Learning in non-league

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart was not in it.

Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.

“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth back was something I definitely needed.

“To gain some self-belief by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that got me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager the coach commented at the time.

“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete surprise.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in the capital, returned home and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

Within a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.

Scott went on to make 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

With his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the division’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, the player’s manager at the club, remarked last year.

Less than three months later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost four months.

“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained Scott.

“It was yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the standings.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”